The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, will announce its third annual desktop Linux survey on Oct. 17.
This survey is not designed to measure how popular the Linux desktop is or how popular one desktop distribution is over another, although it will also measure some of that kind of information. What the survey is really designed to do is to pinpoint areas of user need in order to focus development efforts and accelerate the global adoption of Linux desktops and clients.
The survey also looks into several different areas of interest regarding Linux desktops, such as how many Linux, BSD, Mac OS or Windows desktops an organization runs and how a company uses Linux. It also asks which Windows applications, if any, users want to see on Linux and how would they like to see those applications implemented on the open-source operating system.
The Foundation also plans to investigate the effects that pre-installed Linux laptops and desktops are having on the market. During 2007, major PC companies Dell, Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard took the plunge into offering pre-installed Linux on at least some consumer desktops in some countries. The survey also covers what development tools are now being used by Linux developers.
"Past Linux Desktop Surveys have proved valuable in taking the pulse of evolving user need, which, in turn, enables us to help focus our efforts on identified points of pain and accelerate Linux desktop adoption," said Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation, based in San Francisco. "For example, past surveys highlighted the need to address printing and wireless issues, so we set up focused workgroups and conferences to help developers and vendors work out common solutions to these requirements.
"Over the past year, we have seen increasing Linux desktop and client adoption, especially in Latin America and Asia. We have also seen a number of Linux desktop offerings from major computer vendors. Our 2007 Survey is designed to address these trends, and secure the broadest possible participation by companies, institutions and individuals throughout the world," Zemlin concluded.
As the first person to take the survey, I found it took only a few minutes to fill out. The results of this survey may last for years, since they will guide Linux desktop developers in their future efforts.
The Linux Desktop/Client Survey will be conducted Oct. 17 through Nov. 30, 2007. Survey results will be made publicly available shortly after the close. To take the survey, please visit the Linux Foundation's survey site starting on Oct. 17. This survey has been translated into Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, French and Spanish in order to allow the broadest possible participation.
